Refuse compactor with cooperating exposed and hidden control means

ABSTRACT

A refuse compactor having a ram for compacting refuse placed in a receptacle movably received in a cabinet, and control means for controlling the operation of the ram including a first manually operable element in an exposed disposition, and a second manually operable element in a hidden disposition when the receptacle is in a compacting position within the cabinet. The second control element may comprise a lock having a removable key for preventing undesirable operation of the compactor, such as by children.

[ Feb. 20, 1973 United States Patent 1 Miller et a1.

3,321,589 5/1967 Persiaetal.........................loo/53X 3,534,678 10/1970 Clar....................................100/53X [54] REFUSE COMPACTOR WITH OTHER PUBLICATIONS Pamphlet (2 sheets) ISE Compactor July 8, 1971.

Charles E. Sulcelr, all of Danville,

[73] Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Har- Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite Attorney-James S. Nettleton et a1.

bor, Mich.

[57] ABSTRACT A refuse compactor having a ram for compacting [22] Filed: Sept. 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 178,607

- refuse placed in a receptacle movably received m a cabinet, and control means for controlling the operation of the ram including a first manually operable element in an exposed disposition, and a second manually operable element in a hidden disposition when the receptacle is in a compacting position within the cabinet. The second control element may comrise a lock having a removable key for preventing unh as by chil- 0 "9 S 0 "2 T 1W N mm9 d T "2 R A 2 .l P mmw c s W O m E mu m M M: n T mu k S "Mb 2 D MN R E ""8 T. .e I mm N m U .M

Umm

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desirable operation of the compactor, suc dren.

3,613,560 10/1971 Bottas ct al........................;100/53 X 3,188,411 6/1965 Luenser..............................200/44 X 13 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEU [[5201373 mm'lml II REFUSE COMPACTOR WITH COOPERATING EXPOSED AND HIDDEN CONTROL MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to refuse compactors and in particular to compactors having electrically operable compacting means and manually operable control means for effecting operation of the compacting means.

2. Description of the Prior Art In one improved form of refuse compactor, the refuse to be compacted is placed in a drawer which is carried for movement between a compacting position within the cabinet and a loading position exposed forwardly of the cabinet. The cabinet is provided with a control console having a manually operable switch for initiating the compacting operation when the drawer is in the compacting position.

It has been found desirable to provide in such compactors means for preventing bodily injuries or property damaging use of the compactor. Thus, it has been known to provide a safety control in the form of a keyed switch in the control console requiring that the key be inserted therein to potentiate the manual control switch. Such keyed switches have been conventionally mounted adjacent the manual control switch and, thus, have been effectively exposed equally with the manual control switch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprehends an improved refuse compactor wherein a lock switch means is associated with the manual control switch for selectively disabling the manual control switch and is normally hidden so as to be exposed as an incident of movement of the compacting drawer means. The manual control switch may be openly exposed at all times but is ineffective to operate the compacting means except when the lock switch means is suitably arranged to permit the desired compacting operation.

The manual control switch may be provided in a control console carried at the front of the cabinet above the drawer'means and the drawer means may include a front wall portion hiding the lock switch means when the drawer is in the compacting position. The lock switch means may be disposed adjacent the manually operable switch means so that when the drawer is moved from the compacting position, it is discernible adjacent the manual control switch. The drawer wall portion norm ally hiding the lock switch means may be recessed to receive the distal portion of the key projecting from the lock switch means when the key is retained in the lock means. Similarly, the lock switch means may be carried on a portion of the cabinet wall defining a recess whereby reduced projection of the key from the lock switch means is obtained.

The lock switch means may comprise a conventional lock means requiring that the key be installed therein and turned to permit operation of the compacting means under the control of the manual switch. Thus, the refuse compactor of the present invention is arranged to permit the key of the lock switch means to be retained therein during periods of inactivity thereby to minimize inadvertent loss of the key such as where the key must be retained by the user separately from the compactor during such periods of inactivity to prevent undesirable operation of the compactor.

The refuse compactor control means of the present invention is extremely simple and economical of construction while yet providing the highly desirable features discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refuse compactor having an improved control means embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front view thereof with the drawer spaced from the compacting position so as to expose the lock means of the control; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal section taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a refuse compactor generally designated 10 is shown to include an outer cabinet 11 having a front wall 12. The front wall defines a lower opening through which a drawer 13 is selectively movable between an inner refuse compacting position within the cabinet 11 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1, and a forward loading position wherein the drawer is exposed for receiving refuse and the like to be compacted therein. The refuse is compacted in the drawer by a compacting means including a ram 14 which is selectively driven down into the drawer to compact the refuse disposed therein and retracted to above the drawer to permit the above described selective movement of the drawer between the loading and compacting positions. The compacting means further includes a drive for forcibly driving the ram including an electric motor 15 disposed within cabinet 11 rearwardly of the drawer, as shown in FIG. 1.

Operation of the ram drive is controlled herein by a series arrangement of a manually operable control switch 16 and a lock switch means 17. Switches 16 and 17 are arranged so that manual operation of switch 16 will cause compacting operation of the ram by the drive means only when a key 18 is suitably provided in the lock means 17 and the key 18 be turned in the lock means 17 to an On" position, thereby providing means for effectively preventing undesirable operation of the compactor by unauthorized persons, such as children. Lock means 17 is arranged so that the key 18 may remain in an Off position retained in association with the lock means or selectively be removed from the lock means. Potentiation of the switch means 16 requires that the key 18 be turned suitably in the lock means 17 to an On position. The lock means 17 may be arranged so that the key 18 may not be removed when the key is turned to the On" position in the lock means.

To prevent turning of the key 18 to the On position by uninstructed persons, the lock means 17 is preferably hidden in the normal disposition of the compactor with the drawer 13 disposed in the refuse compacting position within cabinet 1 1. Thus, the drawer includes a front wall 19 having an upper portion provided with an operating handle 21 for selectively manipulating the drawer between the compacting and refuse loading positions. Lock means 17 is carried on the front wall 12 of the cabinet rearwardly of the drawer wall portion 20 to be hidden by the wall portion 20 when the drawer is in the compacting arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1. At this time, the manually operable control switch 16 is exposed so that to the uninstructed person, the control of the compactor would appear to be exposed and accessible for operation of the compactor. With the key in lock means 17, however, in the Off position, manipulation of the control switch 16 by the uninstructed person fails to cause operation of the compactor so that that person would be led to believe that the compactor is inoperative, particularly where the person comprises a young child. Thus, while the key may be retained for facilitated operation of the lock means 17 by an authorized, instructed user of the compactor, it may be removed so as to effectively avoid operation of the compactor by an uninstructed person. When the authorized person having knowledge of the disposition of the lock means wishes to operate the compactor, he merely exposes the lock means 17 by moving the drawer away from the compacting position to space the drawer front wall portion 20 forwardly of the cabinet front wall portion 22 in which the lock means 17 is mounted providing access to the key 18 for turning the lock to the On position and thereby potentiating the control switch 16 to effect a compacting operation upon return of the drawer means to the compacting position, the control means including suitable interlock means (not shown) as conventionally employed in such refuse compactors to permit operation of the compacting means only when the drawer is disposed fully in the compacting position within the cabinet. Further, when the lock means 17 is arranged to permit removal of key 18 only in the Off position, instructed operators will be unable to inadvertently remove key 18 while leaving the lock means 17 in the On position thinking that removal of the key has precluded unauthorized operation of the compactor.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lock means 17 may include a conventional lock cylinder 23 carried on a mounting plate 24 defining a forwardly opening recess 25 in the front wall portion 22 of the cabinet. Cylinder 23 is disposed thusly at the rear of recess 25 to permit the key 18 to project from the cylinder through the recess so as to minimize the extent of the distal portion 26 of the key forwardly from the cabinet front wall portion 22. Drawer portion 20 may be provided with a portion 27 defining a rearwardly opening recess 28 adapted to receive the distal portion 26 of the key as shown in FIG. 3, thereby permitting the drawer portion 20 to be juxtaposed to the cabinet wall portion 22 in the compacting position of the drawer without interference between the key and the drawer portion 20. As further shown in FIG. 3, the mounting plate 24 may be removably secured to the cabinet wall portion 22 by suitable means, such as screws 29.

Also carried on mounting plate 24 is a conventional switch 32. Switch 32 is mounted adjacent to lock cylinder 23 so as to be operated in response to key 18 being turned in lock means 17 to the On position. Suitable electric control wires may be connected to the switch 32 for connection to control switch 16 and to electric motor 15 in the conventional manner. It is to be appreciated that lock cylinder 23 and switch 32 could be combined into a unitary lock switch if so desired.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, lock means 17 is disposed adjacent manual control switch 16 for concurrent viewability of each of the control switches when the drawer is spaced from the compacting position while yet, as shown in FIG. 1, the lock means 17 is hidden by the drawer portion 20 when the drawer is in the compacting position.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the control console 31 may include a stop switch 34 for manually stopping the operation of the compacting means, in the event the operator feels such action is advisable. A spray can 33 may be mounted on the front wall portion 22 adjacent lock means switch 17 for use in spraying sanitizing fluid into the refuse deposited in the drawer 13 prior to the compacting operation. The spray can 33 may similarly be hidden by the drawer front wall portion 20 in the compacting disposition of the drawer thereby permitting the front of the compactor to have a highly aesthetic appearance presented by the console 31 and the drawer front 19.

The lock 17 may be readily serviced by suitable removal of screws 29 permitting forwardly withdrawal of the mounting plate 24 for accessibility to the cylinder portion 23 as well as switch 32.

The lock means 17 is exposed for operation by the authorized person automatically as a result of movement of the drawer to the refuse loading position. Thus, the user is automatically reminded of the need to dispose the lock switch in the operative position to effect a desired compaction, by the exposure of the lock' switch during the normal operation. The switch is further arranged to permit removal of the key when desired so that the switch may be used also in the conventional manner wherein the key is disposed separately from the compactor during periods of inactivitywhile yet the key may be maintained in association with the compactor for facilitated manipulation of the lock means 17 when desired.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of the broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.

Having described the invention, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a refuse compactor having a drawer and electrically operable compacting means for compacting refuse placed in said drawer, and control means for controlling the operationof the compacting means including a manually operable switch means and lock means for selectively disabling the switch means, the improvement comprising:

means for mounting the control means on said compactor with said switch means openly exposed and said lock means normally hidden, and exposed as an incident of movement of the drawer means.

2. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said compactor includes a cabinet having a wall portion, said drawer includes a portion overlying said wall portion when said drawer is in a compacting position wherein the drawer is disposed to have refuse disposed therein compacted by said compacting means, and said lock means is carried by said cabinet wall portion to be hidden by said drawer portion in said compacting position thereof and exposed when said drawer is moved away from said compacting position.

3. The refuse compacto'r of claim 2 wherein said drawer is provided with a handle for use in manually moving the drawer to and from said compacting position and said drawer portion is disposed adjacent said handle.

4. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess.

5. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess, said lock means including key removably carried by said lock means and projecting outwardly from said recess.

6. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess, said lock means including a key removably carried by said lock means and projecting outwardly from said recess, said drawer portion defining a recess opening toward said wall portion recess and disposed to receive the distal portion of the key when the drawer is in the compacting position.

7. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key removably carried by said lock means.

8. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key removably carried by said lock means, and said lock means is arranged to permit operation of the compacting means only when the key is in said lock means.

9. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key carried by said lock means, said key being removable from" said lock in a switch disabling position and said key being retained in said lock when turned to a switch enabling position.

10. In a refuse compactor having a drawer and electrically operable compacting means for compacting refuse placed in said drawer, and control means for controlling the operation of the compacting means including a manually operable switch means and lock means for selectively disabling the switch means, the improvement comprising:

means for mounting the control means and said compactor with said switch means openly exposed and said lock means normally hidden and exposed as an incident of movement of the drawer means, said compactor further including a cabinet having a front wall portion said drawer including a portion overlying said front wall portion when said drawer is in a compacting position wherein the drawer is disposed to have refuse disposed therein compacted by said compacting means, and said lock means being carried by said front wall portion to be hidden by said drawer portion in said compacting position thereof and exposed when said drawer is moved away from said compacting position.

11. The refuse compactor of claim 10 wherein said lock means is disposed adjacent said switch means.

12. The refuse compactor of claim 10 wherein said switch means is disposed adjacent the top of said drawer means.

13. The refuse compactor of claim 10 wherein said control means is operable to cause operation of the compacting means only when the drawer is in the compacting position with said drawer portion overlying said wall portion to hide said key means. 

1. In a refuse compactor having a drawer and electrically operable compacting means for compacting refuse placed in said drawer, and control means for controlling the operation of the compacting means including a manually operable switch means and lock means for selectively disabling the switch means, the improvement comprising: means for mounting the control means on said compactor with said switch means openly exposed and said lock means normally hidden, and exposed as an incident of movement of the drawer means.
 1. In a refuse compactor having a drawer and electrically operable compacting means for compacting refuse placed in said drawer, and control means for controlling the operation of the compacting means including a manually operable switch means and lock means for selectively disabling the switch means, the improvement comprising: means for mounting the control means on said compactor with said switch means openly exposed and said lock means normally hidden, and exposed as an incident of movement of the drawer means.
 2. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said compactor includes a cabinet having a wall portion, said drawer includes a portion overlying said wall portion when said drawer is in a compacting position wherein the drawer is disposed to have refuse disposed therein compacted by said compacting means, and said lock means is carried by said cabinet wall portion to be hidden by said drawer portion in said compacting position thereof and exposed when said drawer is moved away from said compacting position.
 3. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said drawer is provided with a handle for use in manually moving the drawer to and from said compacting position and said drawer portion is disposed adjacent said handle.
 4. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess.
 5. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess, said lock means including key removably carried by said lock means and projecting outwardly from said recess.
 6. The refuse compactor of claim 2 wherein said wall portion defines a recess opening outwardly toward said drawer portion and said lock means is carried at the inner end of the recess, said lock means including a key removably carried by said lock means and projecting outwardly from said recess, said drawer portion defining a recess opening toward said wall portion recess and disposed to receive the distal portion of the key when the drawer is in the compacting position.
 7. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key removably carried by said lock means.
 8. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key removably carried by said lock means, and said lock means is arranged to permit operation of the compacting means only when the key is in said lock means.
 9. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said lock means includes a key carried by said lOck means, said key being removable from said lock in a switch disabling position and said key being retained in said lock when turned to a switch enabling position.
 10. In a refuse compactor having a drawer and electrically operable compacting means for compacting refuse placed in said drawer, and control means for controlling the operation of the compacting means including a manually operable switch means and lock means for selectively disabling the switch means, the improvement comprising: means for mounting the control means and said compactor with said switch means openly exposed and said lock means normally hidden and exposed as an incident of movement of the drawer means, said compactor further including a cabinet having a front wall portion said drawer including a portion overlying said front wall portion when said drawer is in a compacting position wherein the drawer is disposed to have refuse disposed therein compacted by said compacting means, and said lock means being carried by said front wall portion to be hidden by said drawer portion in said compacting position thereof and exposed when said drawer is moved away from said compacting position.
 11. The refuse compactor of claim 10 wherein said lock means is disposed adjacent said switch means.
 12. The refuse compactor of claim 10 wherein said switch means is disposed adjacent the top of said drawer means. 